The 1973 Saint Mary’s University men’s Huskies continue to leave a mark on this province over 25 years after their rise to the CIAU championship. The young SMU squad featured two juniors, two sophomores, and seven freshmen. Coach Brian Heaney moulded his young team into a contender early, leading them to a 14-4 AUAA record before their CIAU win, earning him CIAU basketball Coach of the Year.

The Huskies defeated the highly touted Windsor Lancers 91-84 in overtime during the semi-final game to qualify for the championship game. Led by All-Canadians Mickey Fox and Lee Thomas, the Huskies then defeated Lakehead University 79-67 at Waterloo, Ontario to win the national title. Fox, a sophomore from New York City, scored 39 points in the final and New Jersey native Thomas dominated the boards as SMU claimed its first CIAU crown. Eight members of the team have stayed in Halifax and contributed to the development of basketball in this province as coaches, administrators, and officials.

Members of the team were: Brian Burgess, Mickey Fox, Donald (Taps) Gallagher, John Gallinaugh, Peter Halpin, Brian Heaney (coach), Otha Johnson, John Landry (manager), Peter McAllister (manager), Terry O’Neil, Fred Perry, Greig Redding, Bob Taboski, Lee Thomas, Art Waters.